Positive changes happening within the school walls

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By Andy Barrand

Hillsdale.net - Hillsdale, MI

By Andy Barrand

Posted Feb. 20, 2013 at 8:20 AM

By Andy Barrand
Posted Feb. 20, 2013 at 8:20 AM

Hillsdale, Mich.

andy.barrand@hillsdale.net?LITCHFIELD — Monday night’s Litchfield Community School Board meeting was filled with discussions about the exciting, positive things that are going on at the school system.?

Superintendent Ann Riddle said there are a lot of positive things going inside the walls of the school.?

One of those is the transformation of the school’s library, which is receiving a major overhaul.?

“We want to make it a hub for the district to be used by teachers, students and the community,” she said.?

She said currently the library is utilized on a regular basis by those students in kindergarten through fifth grade. She is hoping that with the remodel more classes and students in junior high and high school will use it.?

“We want it to be more of a media center in light of how you would describe a media center today,” Riddle said.?

Work on the media center will continue throughout the summer and the remodel will feature more technology for the students to use.?

Riddle was also excited about the curriculum changes and teaching method changes that are taking place.??A committee made up of teachers, an intervention specialist from Michigan State University and the Hillsdale County ISD has been formed.?

“The plan is amazing; I think it will make a huge difference in the academic achievement of our students,” Riddle said. “This is something that all schools need to do."?

With the change teachers have begun to dive deeper into tests scores of students, to find the needs of each student on an individual level. The change will come in the curriculum, delivery and implementation of the plan.

The information gathered from the different assessments students take throughout the year will be used to help make a plan for each individual student. The students just finished a math and English pretest from the common core curriculum. The results will give the staff a starting point with each student.?

Riddle said it has been exciting to watch the transformation of the teaching styles of her staff.?

“I think it has brought teaching to a more professional level,” she said. “They are futuristic and are teaching with a purpose.?

“I am very proud of our staff. I have emerging leaders who are helping each other," she added. ?

The school is also part of a pilot program part of the Smarter Balance Assessment Consortium. Sophomores and juniors are taking the testing online. It is aligned with the common core standards.